One Last Time
by bdavis9
Summary: The Naked Brothers Band retired, or at least they thought. They decided to take a break once they hit college but never got that time to say goodbye, the one last tour. Until now Cooper gets an offer he can't refuse. Follow along with the band and crew from the first four stories of Sweet Summertime, Falling Out, Winterlust, and Spring Forward for "One Last Time."
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"I'm swinging by the studio and then I'll be home, yeah of course I'll check on her, love you too Luke, see you later," 26 year old Rosalina's phone was wedged in between her shoulder and ear. She slid it down her arm and into her purse before swinging the door to the familiar studio they had been in and out of since childhood. She waved at the receptionist who buzzed her through the doors and she headed down the hallway where their dressing rooms once were, most of them were now used as offices for Nat's producing company and Cooper and Patty's management careers. The State of Grace girls still had their large dressing room for when they rehearsed and record with Nat. She found the door she knew all too well as Nat's dressing room, and now office, and opened the door. Nat was sitting on the couch, his feet kicked up on the coffee table, and eyes on the TV. But Rosalina's favorite sight of all was the bundled up baby in 24 year old Nat's arms.

"Look who's here Benny," Nat whispered to his son, kissing his forehead. "It's your hot momma."

"There is my favorite boy," Rosalina gushed, taking her son into her arms and snuggling him against him. "Benjamin Michael, you are the most adorable thing in the world."

"How was work?" Nat asked, getting up from the couch to gather the baby's carseat and diaper bag.

"This issue is so hard for the staff, and my intro class was just so unfocused, they are clearly ready for finals to end next week," Rosalina said, referring to her job as an advisor on the NYU newspaper and professor in the journalism and communications department. "And so am I because then I get to spend everyday with my baby boy."

"No more days at work with Daddy," Nat smiled, picking up his son and strapping him into the carseat. "Can't believe this guy is already 6 months old."

"Me either," Rosalina shook her head. "Thanks for taking him again, Juanita got caught up at the youth center and Alex had a study session and you know I can't ask him to miss that," Rosalina said. "Are you going to be here much longer today?"

"Yeah I want to finish up the acoustics on the girl's new track, the guitar is just not sounding right," Nat said, referring to State of Grace's booming career. Though the Naked Brothers Band retired and went their separate ways when the Nat and the boys graduated from high school, the State of Grace career was just starting. They were working on their 4th album, being produced by Nat with the help of Alex when he wasn't at school.

"Okay well remember that everyone is coming over for dinner, Cooper had something to tell us," Rosalina said. "I'm hoping it's that him and Patty will finally get engaged."

"Nah, I think Alex and Juanita will get engaged before those two, they're too work focused but hey they live together, they're practically married already," Nat said.

"Who knows," Rosalina shook her head, leaning in to kiss her husband of 2 years now. "I'll see you later, love you."

"Love you both," Nat waved as Rosalina and his son headed back out the door.

"Alright buddy, let's go see your Aunt Kristina, huh?" Rosalina said to Ben as she pulled in the driveway of her and Nat's house just outside of the city. She took Ben's car seat out of the car and headed to the house next door to her's, where Kristina and Luke moved in about a year ago right after their wedding. She let herself in with her key and set a sleeping Ben down in the living room, careful not to wake him up. Kristina was nowhere on the first floor so Rosalina headed upstairs. "Kris, it's me."

"In here," A soft voice said from the bedroom. Rosalina walked into Kristina and Luke's bedroom and found her best friend buried in blankets, the Netflix queue screen on the TV.

"Hey," Rosalina smiled softly, climbing into bed next to Kristina. "Whatcha watching?"

"Grey's," Kristina responded simply.

"How are you feeling?" Rosalina asked, taking in the sight of her best friend. She looked like she hadn't left her bed in days, and she hadn't. Kristina worked as a teacher at Amigos but had taken off the rest of the school year.

"Fine," Kristina avoided eye contact with Rosalina.

"Do you want to talk?" Rosalina asked quietly.

"No I just want to watch Grey's," Kristina softly said, picking up the remote and pushing the play button. Rosalina sighed at her attempt and settled in with Kristina, scooting a bit towards her in the bed. Kristina did the same, leaning her head on ROsalina's shoulder. Rosalina felt content with the moment, even though she couldn't get Kristina to talk very much. Rosalina put her arm around Kristina and brought her into her, kissing her forehead.

"I love you," Rosalina said as Kristina rested in her arms. "I'm ready to talk whenever you are."

"I know," Kristina looked at her best friend for the first time. "Just not yet, I just want you to stay here with me for a bit."

"Always," Rosalina forced a smile. She looked at Kristina, who's eyes were fixed on the screen. She could see how much hurt was in eyes and was worried about how she was handling everything life was throwing at her recently.

"Where's Ben?" Kristina asked.

"I left him in his car seat downstairs," Rosalina said. "He was sleeping so I didn't want to wake him up."

"Will you bring him up here?" Kristina asked, Rosalina looked a little wary. "Please."

"Of course," Rosalina went back downstairs, carefully taking her son from his carseat, careful not to wake him. "Hey Benny boy, here's your Aunt Kristina."

"He's getting so big," Kristina took her nephew into her arms and held him tight to her. "I've missed you buddy."

"He's missed you too," Rosalina grinned. "Someday, you'll get one of your own Kris."

"Yeah," Kristina looked like she was going to say more but then stopped. She just looked at the sleeping baby in her arms. Her eyes started to tear up and tears started to stream down her face.

"Oh Kris, c'mere," Rosalina took her son from her arms and set him in between her legs. She put both her arms around Kristina and pulled her crying face into her lap. She rubbed Kristina's back and pulled back her hair.

"This isn't fair, life isn't fair," Kristina cried, causing a tear to roll down Rosalina's cheek.

"I know," Rosalina stroked her hair, looking at her son over Kristina's head. "I never pictured life ending up like this.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"A man that cooks, that is hot!" Rosalina exclaimed later that night as her, Kristina, and Ben headed next door to Nat and Rosalina's house. Rosalina greeted her husband with a kiss with Ben in her arms. Luke was sitting at the island in the kitchen, a beer in his hand.

"Give me the kid, it's been weeks!" Luke demanded, reaching his arms out for the baby. Rosalina obliged and handed him over the counter.

"Hey Kris, good to see you," Nat gave her a side hug as he stirred a pot on the stove.

"Yeah you too," Kristina smiled up at him as Nat patted her shoulder.

"Baby, come here," Luke called. Kristina joined her husband at the island. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Is today a good or bad day?"

"A bad one," She said quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Those will pass soon enough," He whispered to her, kissing the side of her head.

"Honey, I'm home!" ALex's voice boomed from the foyer.

"You know, you don't actually live here," Rosalina said matter-of-factly as Alex and Juanita entered the kitchen, each other them greeting her with a hug.

"Well, we do have a bedroom here," Juanita pointed out, reaching for Ben from Luke, holding and kissing her nephew's face.

"That's called a guest bedroom," Nat rolled his eyes with a smile. "Boys, can you come outside and help me with the grill?"

"So, what's this dinner for anyway?" Juanita asked, rocking back and forth with the baby in her arms.

"Cooper just said we all had to be here and Nat offered up our house as the location," Rosalina shrugged, moving around the kitchen pulling things from cupboards and the fridge. "It'll be nice to see the boys and the sisters, they've all been in LA for awhile now."

"This season of Kids Got Talent is just wrapped so they should be home for at least a few months now," Juanita said. Kristina got up and started to wander the large kitchen and dining room, lingering by the window.

"The gang is back, y'all," A voice boomed from the foyer as the front door opened. Moments later, Thomas, David, and Qaasim, along with the Grace sisters joined the girls in the kitchen.

"Hi guys!" Rosalina grinned, happily pulling her closest guy friends into hugs and kisses on the cheeks.

"Where's our nephew? It's been nearly two months," David asked after hugging Rosalina. She pointed to Juanita, where the Grace sisters were already gathered.

"God, he's huge," Thomas put his arm around Rosalina, putting her into a friendly chokehold. "How's Kristina doing after...well, you know."

"She's...not good, I'm hoping the whole family being back together again wil lift her spirits," Rosalina replied as they looked on at Kristina in the dining room. "She's had a rough day."

"I've got the perfect solution for that," Thomas smirked a bit. He grabbed David and Qaasim and the three of them headed into the dining room. They all wrapped their arms around Kristina from behind, causing an instant smile on her face. As they all back apart, she pulled them each into long individual hugs.

"Dinner is almost done out there, I left Alex in charge so we'll see how that goes," Nat laughed a little bit as he joined Rosalina in the kitchen. He leaned against the counter next to her, facing the dining room. He smiled at the boys laughing with Kristina. "Kris doing alright?"

"As alright as she can be," Rosalina shrugged. "With time, she'll get better."

"I think so too, Luke was thankful she spent some time with you today," Nat said, his attention turning to the front door as Cooper and Patty walked into the kitchen. "Hey partner."

"Nat, Rosie," Cooper shook Nat's hand and kissed Rosalina's cheek. Patty followed, exchanging hugs with the couple. Cooper and Patty went around the room, greeting the rest of their friends with excited hugs and kisses. Baby Ben was passed around from aunt to uncle and back again, getting as much love as any baby needs.

"Dinner is served!" Rosalina called from the kitchen as Luke and Alex brought in plates from the grill. She took her son from Qaasim and set him into his bouncey seat in the living room before sitting down to dig in with her friends.

"So, what's the deal Coop?" Nat asked Cooper. "Not that I don't love getting together with everyone, but why'd you want us all here?"

"Well...I got a very interesting business proposition." Cooper said, setting his fork down. "What do you all think about bringing the Naked Brothers Band back for one last time?"

"What do you mean one last time?" Alex asked, confused.

"Like one show or something, I thought we did that already. The summer after senior year at Amigos." David added.

"Right, we did," Cooper replied. "This year marks 10 years since Kristina joined the band, as well as numerous other occasions in our lives. Nat and Rosalina getting their shit together for good, then the sisters came into our lives, etc. Anyway MTV came to me with an offer, they'll promote and help me organize a reunion tour. They'll record the shows and release a DVD and CD when it's all over."

"Wow…" Thomas spoke, probably taking the words out of everyone else's mouths.

"When? When do they want to do this?" Qaasim added.

"This summer, we'd have to leave in like a month or so," Cooper explained. He looked over at Rosalina and Kristina, knowing those two would be hardest to talk into doing this. "Rosie, Kris, thoughts?"

"I'm just worried about Ben, I mean raising a baby on the road doesn't seem ideal," Rosalina said.

"But think about all the help we would have, with all of us being there," Cooper persuaded. "And MTV wants State of Grace to be the opening act."

"So, what do you think? Nat, Al?" Cooper pressed again, clearly showing his desire to get back on the road with the band.

"I mean, of course I'd love to do it, I even have some new music I would like to perform," Nat revealed. "I think we can make it work, right babe?"

"What does everyone else think?" Rosalina glanced around at her best friends. Alex and the boys all nodded their heads, along with the Grace sisters. Rosalina turned to look at Kristina, who had barely looked up since the conversation had begun. "K?"

"Um...I mean if everyone else wants to go, I suppose I will too," She forced a smile, looking to her husband on the other side of her for encouragement.

"So that's a yes?" Cooper asked, barely containing his excitement. The gang all nodded their heads, smiling at the thought of reuniting. "We're back ladies and gents, the NBB is back."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"He's asleep," Nat announced later that night as he crawled into bed next to Rosalina, who had her glasses on, typing away on her laptop, editing the latest edition of the newspaper. Rosalina barely looked up from her screen, nodding her head to acknowledge her husband. "You alright babe?"

"Yeah, just trying to finish this piece," She sighed, shaking her head. "My mind is all over the place."

"The tour?"

"I know we can make it work with Ben, and I can work from the road. But I'm worrried about…"

"Kristina," Nat said with her, putting his hand on his leg. "I mean, she agreed to going, that's a start isn't it?"

"Yeah yeah it is, I just...maybe it'll pull her out of all of this," Rosalina said. "I just need her to talk about it with me."

"I'm sure she will when she's ready," Nat crawled out of bed. "I think I'm going to go write for a bit."

"Oh are you?" Rosalina smirked a bit, propping her glasses on top of her head. "Well that, that is great news. You haven't told me that in ages."

"I've been writing, just not telling you," Nat winked. "I've got to keep some mystery alive."

"Well I like it," Rosalina smiled as Nat headed out of the bedroom and downstairs. He went into the spare room in their house, split between Rosalina's office and his work room at home. As he settled in, he saw a figure on the back porch next door. The shadow started pacing back and forth. Nat set down his guitar and headed out the back door. He approaced the fence and the figure in the yard next door jumped.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Nat apoligized. "I just saw the light on and you out here. It's nearly midnight."

"No worries," Luke held up his hands in surrender almost. "Kristina hasn't been sleeping too much therefore, I am not either."

"I know our wives have their own communication on the subject but how are you doing with all of this?" Nat asked his neighbor.

"It's hard, like the whole ordeal was hard enough on me but it's even harder seeing my wife so torn up," Luke confessed. "I think she's really going through something serious, like depression."

"Has she been talking to someone? A therpist?" Nat asked.

"Does your wife count?" Luke asked, partially as a joke but partially as a serous question. "I've gotten so many different numbers and we went once, the both of us. I did most of the talking, it was right after it happened so it was still so...raw."

"Rosalina and I have been through the ringer together, but this is one thing we haven't had to go through," Nat said. "I just want to try and be the best neighbors and friends we can be."

"You guys are, especially Rosalina," Luke reassured. "I'm hoping this summer, this tour is something that can bring her back out of this. Being around the boys more, we don't see them as much now that they've been spliting time in LA and Alex and Juanita have been so busy with school they haven't nevtured too far out of the city lately."

"I hope it'll be a positive experience for all of us," Nat agreed. "I love what I do, producing and working side by side with Coop, but man do I miss performing and recording my own stuff."

"Yeah? Well if I've learned anything, it's that you've got to do what makes you happy," Luke enouraged. He saw a light turn on in his bedroom upstairs. "That must be Kris, I'm going to go check on her. Thanks for the talk bud."

"Likewise," Nat shook Luke's hand as they headed back into their own houses. Luke snuck back up the stairs and into his and Kristina's bedroom. As he slid the door open, he found his wife in the bathroom, readjusting her bun on the top of her head and wiping the make up rfom under her eyes.

"Hi babe," Luke joined her in the bathroom, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Can't sleep, huh?"

"Too much going on in my head," She sighed, leaning on the counter in front of her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Luke asked, already knowing her response.

"No, no it's fine," Kristina responded. She paced back into the bedroom. "Well, maybe I'll just call Rosalina, see if she's awake."

"Don't bother her, we can talk, it'll be fine I can help," Luke reassured her. "Is it about the tour announcement?"

"No it's just...everything," Kristina eyes welled up with tears. "I don't know how to talk to you about it."

"But you know how to talk to Rosalina about it?" Luke asked, a hint of hurt in his voice.

"Not really, all we ever do is sit there while I cry," Kristina sighed, wiping under her eyes with her hand.

"Well we can sit here while you cry," Luke offered, sitting on the bed patting the seat next to him. Kristina acknowledged his action with her eyes but walked towards the window, peaking to see that Rosalina and Nat's window was dark. She sighed a bit and crawled into bed, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV, the Netflix home screen appearing.

"Netflix?" Kristina asked, completely ignoring Luke's question. Luke was about to respond but then held his breath. He instead took off his shirt and crawled into bed next to her.

"Where are we at on Grey's?" Luke asked.

"Oh my god, you have missed so much,"


End file.
